Journeyman Plumber
Salary

Men make up the majority of Journeyman Plumbers in the United States, bringing in about $20.60 per hour. Total cash compensation to Journeyman Plumbers bottoms out near $32K and approaches $71K on the high end; the biggest paychecks include approximately $2K from bonuses and almost $10K from profit sharing. Geography is the biggest factor affecting pay for this group, followed by career duration. The majority of workers are highly satisfied with their job. Unfortunately, some people in this line of work are without benefits — roughly two in five lack coverage. On the flip side, the larger part have medical insurance and over a third receive dental plans. This snapshot results from replies to PayScale's salary survey.

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

Job Description for Journeyman Plumber

A journeyman plumber is a trained plumber who has completed their apprenticeship under a master plumber. They are fully knowledgeable in the skills needed to be a plumber, and they have a working knowledge and application of the skills required to work as a plumber.

A journeyman plumber works underneath the guidance of a master plumber to perform duties such as installation, repair, and maintenance related to plumbing. A journeyman plumber is typically not qualified or ready to own their own business and manage employees; while they are considered fully trained, their level of skill is considered intermediate. Journeyman plumbers can expect to work a wide array of hours and days. As a journeyman plumber, they may be expected to accommodate the master plumber by attending to service calls that are late at night or on the weekends.

A journeyman plumber may work independently when their skill level permits, but do not have employees or apprentice other plumbers until they reach the master plumber level.

To become a journeyman plumber, it is expected that individuals have some experience in residential or commercial plumbing work. It is often required for journeyman plumbers to have access to their own set of tools required for the trade work.

Journeyman Plumber Tasks

Interpret blueprints and architectural diagrams to correctly position and access systems and assess fit to code.

Troubleshoot and diagnose problems, including interactions between waste, gas, and water systems.

Common Career Paths for Journeyman Plumber

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Compensation may increase greatly for Journeyman Plumbers who advance to upper-end positions like Construction Project Manager. Median pay for Construction Project Managers is $70K per year. Journeyman Plumbers moving up in their careers tend to step into positions as Master Plumbers or Lead Plumbers. The median paychecks in those roles are $7K higher and $7K higher, respectively.

Journeyman Plumber Job Listings

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Pay by Experience Level for Journeyman Plumber

Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.

Experience and pay tend to be weakly linked for Journeyman Plumbers — those with more experience do not necessarily bring in higher earnings. Although individuals who have less than five years' experience earn $39K on average, people with five to 10 years benefit from a notably larger average of $44K. Journeyman Plumbers bring in $48K after working for 10 to 20 years. People who have worked for more than 20 years report a median income of $52K, which is barely higher than the median for folks with 10 to 20 years of experience.